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1. D. NORTH.

ENGRNE FAIRENG GR CASI NG FOR AIRCRAFT. 1

APPLICATION ruin MAR. 25. 1919.

1 ,321,070. Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. D. NORTH.

ENGINE FMRING 0R CASING FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION nun ma.2s,191s.

1,321,070. Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. 0. NORTH.

ENGINE FAIRINB OR CASING FOR AIRCRAFT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1919.

1 3 2 1 ,O'TO. I Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DUDLEY NORTH, OF BUBGK LIPTON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB F ONE-HALF TO BOUL'ION 6t PAUL LIMITED, OF NORWICH, NORFOLK, ENGLAND.

ENGINE FAIBING OR CASING I'OB- AIRCRAFT.

1,321,070. Specification of Letters latent Patented Nov. 4, 1919. Application filed March 25, 1am. Serial no. 2:14.971.

To all whom it may concern: rear edge of the engine housing and a tail 55 Be it known that 1, JOHN DUDLEY Nou'rn, section to the rearward end of the intera subject of the King of Great Britain, re mediate section, these two casings-being cirsiding at Burgh Apton, Norfolk, England, cular in transverse section and their exter- 5 have invented certain new and useful Imnal shapes being such that when combined provements in Engine Fairings or Casings they 'complete t e streamline contour of the 6D for Aircraft, of which the following is a casing considered as a whole. specification, In the alternative, when the engine is The object of the present invention is to mounted in the fuselage of a flying'machine 10 provide an engine fairing or casing, hereinthe intermediate and tail sections of the after t med a casing, for use on air raft, casing may be dispensed with since the fu- B5 and particularly on aeroplane flying masela e may be constructed to take the place chines, in which the head resistance is reof t ese sections. ducgd to a, minimum while the cooling of The invention will be described with refthe engine is effected in a most efiicient man- BIBHCB t0 the companying drawings, ner, and at the same time to provide a conwhereon Figure 1 is a sectional elevation 70 struction which can be easily and economihowing an exam 1e of construction of the ll f t casing n which t e general streamline con- T ceasing according to this invention cong ration is completed by certain sections sists primarily of two main elements, namely located rearward of the engine housing, and

a structure, generally composed of sheet Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the engine hous- 7:,

metal, which surrounds and partially incloses mg having certain parts removed.

the engine, hereinafter termed the engine 1g. is a side e ovation illustratin the housing, and a further structure, hereinafter nose sp nner and the engine housing, and

termed the nose sp'nn'er, which servestoclose Fig. 4 IS a transverse sect on drawn to a the forward end of the engine housing and larger scale than the; previous figures and so which nose spinner is circular in transverse k n about he lin \Y of Fig. 3. section, is fixed to the en ine shaft and rotates Referring to the drawings, the eng ne therewith. The eneral external contour of housing is composed of a sheet metal cylinthe engine housing with the noses inner comder 1 formed with a number of slots 2,

bined, is of streamline section wit the head lfigs. 3 and 4, opening out on the rear edge of the engine cylinders protruding radiall of the cylinde r 1 and extendm for a suitthrough the casing into external longitudiable distance in the direction 0 the axis of mi channels formed on the housing by sheet he cylinder,

85 metal projecting structures, hereinafte 4 Onto the parts of the cylinder 1 ,between termed ramps, fixed on the housing between the slots, sheet metal structuresS are fixed,

the cylinders, the external surfaces of which h r lnafiel rmed ramps, each ramp havram 5 f m t th neml st a li ing an outer external surface curved in the con guration of the entire structure; thus direction of the axis of the cylinder 1 and 40 each cylinder head along with its valve gear having substan ially vertical sides, the

projecting above the same, is located in such ram s preferably extending somewhat bea channel between two adjacent ramps, yon the rear end of the cylinder 1 and bringing the cooling of the engine to a most being cut away at an angle. 0 efficient point, in that the valve gear is sub- The en me, which is sufiiciently ind1 45 jected to the full blast from the ropeller, cated by otted lines in the drawings, is

and the upper portion of the eylin er is suhsecured and supported in any suitable m anjected to a lesser hlastof air but which is ner to the mam structure of the machine, directed to pass between the cooling fins, and in the example shown the engine is and moreover the head resistance is reduced bolted u to the face of a plate 5 of 50 since the valve gear is the only engine part pentagonal outline as shown at Fig. 2, wh ch extending beyond the casing of general anged plate 5 is secured to strut members streamline contour. 6 extending from the spars 7 and 8 of the The casing may be completed by adding machine, and to the angles of the flanged an intermediate section of the casing to the plate 5 is fixed a tllbt! 9 bent into annular shape, over which tube the rear end of the cylinder 1 is sprung and by which tube 9 the said cylinder 1 is supported.

With such a construction the upper ends of the cylinders 10 of the engine project through the slots 2, and consequently the upper ends of the cylinders and any valve gear carried thereon, are located in the channel-ways formed between the ramps 3 of the housing, and thus, although the general outline of the external surface of the housing conforms to a streamline shape, et the heads of the cylinders and the va ve gear carried thereby are exposed to a blast of air due to the action of the air propeller.

In order to close the otherwise open front end of the cylinder 1 of the housing, a sheet metal nose is fitted or fixed to the propeller shaft, this structure 11, hereinbefore termed the nose spinner, being of such configuration that it forms the leading end of a streamline form, the next rearward portion of which is rovided by the external outer surfaces of tlie ramps 3 of the engine housing. The nose s inner 11 may be fixed by a bolt 12 rocee ing from the end of the propeller s aft, and the rear part of the nose spinner 11 can be sup orted by wire spokes or the like 13 exten lag between a plate 14 fixed to the flange of the propelled hub 15, said spokes 13 extending to a ring or the like 16 fixed in the interior of the nose spinner 11.

Taking over the rear edge of the cylinder 1 of the engine housing, is a conical sheet metal ring 17, the rear JOXtiOll or end 18 of the ring 17 correspon ing in diameter to the outer surfaces of the ramps 3, and the forward edge of the ring 17 can be detachably secured onto the bent rearward edge of the cylinder 1 of the housing by for instance the tensioned cable 19 encircling the structure, so that should it be required to detach the cylinder housing after the removal of the nose spinner 11 it can be drawn forwardly from oif the engine after releasin the tensioned cable 19.

In the construction shown the intermediate annular section of the casing 20 takes over the rear edge of the sheet metal ring 17. and also embraces externally the forward edge of a tail section 21 of the casing, which tail section 21 may be supported in any suitable manner by being connected to the structure of the machine. The intermediate section 20 and the tail scction '21 together complete the streamline contour of the whole casing.

\Vhen it is desired to obtain access to the carburetors or other engine details located at the rear of the engine the intermediate section 20 can be tclcscoped over the rear or tail section 21.

In the manut'iu-turo of the invention described the nose spinner l1 and the tail section 21 can be readily formed by the process of spinning; the ramps 3 can be formed by pressing and then fixed by riveting onto the cylinder 1 of the housing, and the said cylinder 1 of the housin can be rolled up and seamed. The interme iate section 20, which is the removable portion, may be formed from sheet metal without beating.

lVhat I claim as m invention and desire to secure by Letters atent is In engine casings for use on aircraft; an engine housing structure composed of sheet material to surround and partially inclose the aircraft engine, said housing being circular in transverse section and externall of streamline curvature in longitudinal elevation, said housing having longitudinal channels corresponding in number to the radial cylinders of the engine, the base of each channel having an aperture to permit the head of an engine cylinder to project therethrough to be acted upon by the air passing through said channel, said housing being open at its forward end, means for supporting said engine housing and for supporting the engine therein from the framework of the aircraft, and means for closing the front open end of said engine housing and completing the frontal portion of the streamline engine casing.

2. In engine casings for use on aircraft; the combination with an engine housing structure composed of sheet material to surround and partially inclose the aircraft engine, said housing being circular in transverse section vand externally of streamline curvature in longitudinal elevation, said housing having longitudinal channels corresponding in number to the radial cylinders of the engine, the base of each channel ha ving an aperture to permit the head of an engine cylinder to project therethrough to be acted upon by the air passing through said channel. said housing being open at its forward end, and means for supportin said engine housing and for supporting t 1e en gine therein from the framework of the aircraft; of a front structure to close the front open end of said engine housing, and means for supporting said front structure from the engine, said front-structure being circular in cross section and of streamline contour in longitudinal elevation to form the frontal continuation of the general streamline contour of said engine housing.

3. In engine casings for use on aircraft, the combination of an engine housing structure composed of sheet material, to surround and partly inclose the aircraft engine, said engine housing comprising a housing cylindot to inclosc the engine, means for support in; said cnginc within said housing cylinder and for supporting said housing cylinder from the framework of the aircraft. said housing cylinder having apertures through YBO its circular wall one for each engine cylinder, through which apertures the heads of said engine cylinders project to the exterior, ramps fixed on the exterior of said sheet material housin cylinder, each ram consisting of a boxike casing having su stantially vertical sides and an outer face curved in longitudinal elevation to a streamline curvature, said engine cylinder heads being located in the longitudinal channels formed between said ramps, 3. front structure to close the front open end of said en ine housing, said front structure being ormed of sheet material circular in cross section and of streamline contour in longitudinal elevation to form the frontal continuation of the general streamline contour of said engine housing, and means for supporting said front structure from the engine.

4. In engine casings for use on aircraft;

the combination of an engine housing structure composed of sheet material, to surround and partly inclose the aircraft engine, said engine housing comprising a housing cylinder to inclose the engine, means for support ing Said engine within said housing cylinder and for supporting said housing'cylinder from the framework of the aircraft, said housing cylinder having apertures through its circular wall one for each engine cylinder, through which apertures the heads of the said engine cylinders project to the exterior, said apertures extending to the rear edge of said housing cylinder to enable said engine housing to be placed over and removed from the engine by moving said housing in the direction of its axis, ramps fixed on the exterior of said sheet material housing cylinder, each ramp consisting of a box-like casing having substantially vertical sides and an outer face curved in longitudinal elevation to a streamline curvature, said engine cylinder heads being located in the longitudinal channels formed between said ramps, a front structure to close the front open end of said engine housing, said front structure being formed of sheet material circular in cross section and of streamline contour in longitudinal elevation to form the frontal continuation of the general streamline contour of said engine housing, and means for supporting said front structure from the engine.

5. In engine casings for use on aircraft; the combination of an engine housing structure com-posed of sheet material, to surround and partly inclose the aircraft engine, said engine housing comprising a housing cylinder to inclose the engine, means for support ing said engine within said housing cylinder and for supporting said housing cylinder from the framework of the aircraft, said housing cylinder having apertures through its circular wall one for each engine cylinder, through which apertures the heads of said engine cylinders project to the exterior, ramps fixed on the exterior of said sheet material housin cylinder, each ramp consisting of a box-hie casing having substantially vertical sides and. an outer face curved in longitudinal elevation to a streamline curvature, said engine cylinder heads being located in the longitudinal channels formed between said ramps, a front structure of sheet material circular in cross section and of streamline contour in longitudinal elevation to close the front open end of said engine housing and complete the general streamline contour of the latter, and means for supporting said front structure from the revolving main shaft of the engine so that it revolves therewith with the rear circular edge of said front structure adjacent to the forward circular edge of the open end of said engine housing.

6. In engine casings for use on aircraft; an engine housing structure composed of sheet material to surround and partially inclose the aircraft engine, said housing being circular in transverse section and externally of streamline curvature in longitudinal elevation, said housing having longitudinal channels corresponding in number to the radial cylinders of the engine, the base of each channel having an aperture to permit the head of an engine cylinder to project therethrough to be acted upon by the air passing through said channel, said housing being open at its forward end, a plate structure within said housing, means for fixing said engine to said plate structure, means for supporting said plate structure from the framework of the aircraft, a tube bent into annular shape and fixed on to said plate structure upon which tube said engine housing is so ported, and means for securing said housing to aid tube.

7. In engine casings for use on aircraft; the combination of an engine housing structure composed of sheet material, to surround and partly inclose the aircraft engine, said engine housing comprising a housing cylinder to inclose the engine, means for su porting said engine within aid housing cy inder and for supporting said housing 0 linder from the framework of the aircra t, said housing cylinder having apertures through its circular wall one for each engine cylinder, through which apertures the heads of said engine cylinders project to the exterior, ramps fixed on the exterior of said sheet material housin cylinder, each ramp consisting of a box-like casing having substantially vertical sides and an outer face curved in longitudinal elevation to a streamline curvature, said engine cylinder heads being located in the longitudinal channels formed between said ramps, :1 front structure to close the front open end of said engine housing, said front structure being formed of sheet material circular in cross section and of streamline contour in longitudinal elevation to form the frontal continuation of the neral streamline contour of said engine ousing, means for supporting said -front structure from the engine, a conical sheet metal ring the forward smaller diameter edge of which conjoins the rearward edge of said housing cylinder while the rearward larger diameter edge of said conical ring com-oins and is of a diameter corresponding to the outer rear edges of said ramps on said housing cylinder, a rear section of the casing located at a distance from the rear edge of 15 the conical ring aforesaid, and an intermediate conical section, the forward edge of said intermediate section overlapping the rear edge of said conical ring while the rear edge of said intermediate section overlaps the rear or tail section of the casing, said intermediate and rear sections completing the streamline form of the casing as a whole, said intermediate section being capable of being slid rearwardly over the tail section to expose the carburetors and other engine parts. i

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN DUDLEY NORTH. Witnesses:

ARCHIBALD FREDERICK BUNNELL, HORACE FISHER. 

